A huge thank you to all of you for sharing my blogs with your peeps. I am so grateful for your help in growing our inch by inch family.
xo, allison
As I grow older, I spend more time reflecting on how I became who I am. It’s pretty evident my overwhelming hatred of mayonnaise was born from a bad fish filet. My complicated relationship with money comes from growing up worrying about making ends meet. My fear of water is from almost drowning and fear of flying started when a plane I was in caught fire.
More puzzling is why seeing trash strewn alongside the road physically makes me sick? Or why witnessing someone degrading or mistreating an innocent human or animal makes me fireball mad? Why standing under a canopy of trees makes me emotional? Why I obsess over twinkle lights and glitter? For years I’ve always wondered “the why” about these parts of me and I finally found them—on Main Street in Disney World.
A few months ago, I traveled to the “Happiest place on Earth” with my daughter and daughter-in-law. For months every Wednesday evening we’d watch a favorite Disney movie and plan our trip. As they researched endlessly, I could just hope for a good trip. My last two Disney trips were less than stellar. The first was a trip my husband and our young children took. By noon it had fallen apart as ride wait times, everyone’s impatience and the heat became unbearable. The second trip I fell asleep on a bench in Disney Land and realized I had the flu.
But a couple months ago, with our bags bursting at the seams with fast pass bracelets, itineraries galore, matching outfits & ears and good walking shoes we arrived. We checked-in, unpacked, ate dinner and got a great night’s sleep to ensure we hit the ground running. Through the gates we zipped and there, straight in front of me in the early morning light was the castle. I felt my heart free fall to my toes.
Ever since I was an itty-bitty girl, Cinderella has been my absolute favorite. Life wasn’t fair for her, but she remained optimistic and kind. I so admired that about her. She rose early with a smile on her face, whistled and sang as she did her endless chores, befriended birds, spoke to animals, wished on stars, hoped for a Prince and had a fairy godmother. That’s my kind of girl!
As we made our way deep into the park we came upon the Winnie the Pooh ride. That stuffed bear and all his friends shared with me what some would say is my ”North Star. The thing that inspires, influences and directs all things me. It has hung in every classroom I created, each of my child’s bedrooms and today hangs in my office. It’s what Pooh’s melancholy friend Eeyore said about friendship, “A little consideration, a little thought of others, makes all the difference.”
It was Tinkerbell, the Fairy from Peter Pan, who introduced me to the magic and happiness of Pixie Dust. For this reason alone, I shall forever be indebted to her. Often referred to as “glitter” by humans, I always had a bit of glitter in my pockets as a teacher in case a child needed a moment of hope. I fully believe in its magical powers.
I still apply what Snow White taught me everyday, “Remember, you're the one who can fill the world with sunshine.”
Pocahontas and I share a love and respect for our Earth and I still believe this truth today, “If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you’ll learn things you never knew, you never knew.”
It is true Belle from Beauty and the Beast and I both love books, but it was her lesson about valuing inward characteristics such as kindness over other superficial qualities, such as wit and appearance that became a life pillar of mine.
In Lion King, Mufasa explains to Simba a crucial lesson about the Circle of Life; “Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance …You need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures.” Hence, why I do not like killing spiders.
Mary Poppins sang a bedtime lullaby to comfort the Banks children who were missing their mom who’d passed away. In doing so, she mended my heart and I now share it with you. "So when you need her touch and loving gaze, gone but not forgotten is the perfect phrase. Smiling from a star that she makes glow, trust she's always watching as you grow. Find her in the place where the lost things go.”
It was the bravery of a few Dalmatian dogs coupled with a community of compelled strangers who put aside their differences, joined forces, worked together and defeated the bad guys. Their lesson gives me hope for our country today.
And so, as our day came to an end, my girls and I found a spot beneath the sky above Cinderella’s castle. There I stood amongst those responsible for teaching me some of the most important lessons of my lifetime. I closed my eyes and saw a little girl watching Cinderella on a small Zenith television. I gazed at a young mother placing her newborn down for sleep. I looked on as a teacher and her students cleaned up their school playground. I observed a woman scribbling ideas for her very own children’s book filled with little lessons for a happier world.
As the exploding colors began to fall from the sky, tears fell from my eyes. When the fireworks burst wide open, so too did my heart. I was overflowing with emotion, gratitude and happiness realizing it was Disney who had a hand in molding me. As I watched Tinkerbell fly off into the distance I whispered up to the sky very sincerely-
thank you for it all,
A little thing you should know: From the moment we arrived at the airport until we left, we were overwhelmed by kindness. So we created a Kindness List just to remember all the gestures by strangers who made our time more memorable. Here are just a few…. Airline check-in didn’t charge us for our overweight luggage, Manuel made us special birthday pins, Pietra gave Nathalia a Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwich for free to celebrate her birthday and that’s just to name a few...
